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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Unplugging PC, plugging in brains

A couple of weeks ago I rescheduled our whole school year and decided that we really better get a bit more serious about this school thing if we wanted to have new fun things to learn the next school year. Last week did not go to plan and over the weekend I started to panic a bit. Funnily enough I read an article by Cindy Rushton about unplugging and then listened to an audio of hers called Procrastination Attack! Eat That Frog!. (Check it out about half way down the page.)

Wow, I just realised that this life is it, my one and only, no second chances. I need to get on with living my dreams, making them real.

So, this week - much better. I have hardly used my computer, instead using paper and pencil, and surfing and visiting forums are minimal. I have so much more time for doing school and keeping home. :-)

The boys are resisting change and sometimes I feel a lot like I am herding cats but we have been getting more school done and the house is not falling apart. My days are still not perfect and I know the perfect days will be rare but to know that I am working towards my dream of a calm clean home with well-educated young men keeps me going.

I am also looking to working on a dream of a more personal nature. I was learning to play guitar before my eldest was born. In the new year I hope to give it another go.

Next week I am going to work on unplugging them from the TV. Wish me luck!

9 comments:

I've recently been thinking about that same sobering and liberating thought that you had about this life being your one and only. I hope you get into those guitar lessons - it's too easy to put that kind of thing aside. I've just started having horse riding lessons! have a good week!

I find things go much better in both house and school work is technology is limited. With our ages I just find it easier to put time restrictions for everyone, including myself :-) and not unplug altogether. That might cause a riot!Hope the rest of your week and year goes well.

Ruby, I would love to hear what amount of time and when that you allow yourself and yours.

I am thinking I need to set aside a set time each day to check emails, and then allow a time or two each week to write up blogs. If I have a whole bunch of thoughts at once I could always schedule some of the blogs to post at a later time. As you can see I go through drought and flood times with my blogging. I think a routine of topics and then scheduling the excess for ahead would really help.

I don't want blogging to rule my life but I do see it as a great way to easily have contact with people in similar positions in life that I couldn't do in real life. I just need some balance.

And yes Danielle @ RLR unplugging from FB does count. Thankfully I never went there. I would be so bad. Surfing is my downfall.

For the school aged boys it is no computer or PS3 games until after school work, household jobs etc are done. This is usually around 3 in the afternoon and they each get a turn but they have to spend at least an hour outside. Because they play basketball, swim, enjoy scootering this isn;t too bad. What I find the hardest is our hot summer holidays. They want to loll around inside all day and I can't blame them. We try to work around it. For myself, I spend about hour an hour during morning tea break checking emails and blogs. If I want to write a post I just use free time at night.

I am a mum of 4 young men who challenge me in many ways as I homeschool them and try to keep my home happy.
I like the principles of a literature based education with a whole lot of real life thrown in and believe in individualising my methods and even curriculum for each child as needed.
I try to remember that the blogging lens can be very good at showing only rainbows and not the mud that naturally comes with the rain. Here you will read about the real days of homeschooling too.

Great Quotes

Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each. - Plato

Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. - Aristotle